Craft your way to a special Christmas - with a little help from nature

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Add a more personal touch to your festive decorations this year; come along to the historic Stanley Mills complex near Perth on Saturday 11th December and learn how to make your own using natural materials. At the mills’ Christmas Crafts event from 2pm to 4.30pm, Ranger Ian Lewis will be showing visitors how to gather craft materials from the local environment - including sprigs of holly, pine cones, branches and mosses - to make a variety of attractive festive wreaths, table centres and decorations.

Vote for Kilchurn Castle or Sweetheart Abbey to be named the UK's finest. Two of the outstanding heritage properties in the care of Historic Scotland - Kilchurn Castle in Argyll & Bute and Sweetheart Abbey in Dumfries and Galloway - have made it onto a shortlist of the UK’s 10 most romantic ruins. The two properties are the only sites in Scotland to be named by BBC Countryfile Magazine in its shortlist of Britain’s best romantic sites.

Scotland's finest historic attractions open free for four days to mark St Andrew's Day

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With St Andrew’s Day just a few days away, why not plan to celebrate Scotland’s national day with a visit to one of our country’s great historic sites? Historic Scotland is offering the perfect incentive – free entry to 48 outstanding heritage attractions throughout the country for four days : Saturday 27th, Sunday 28th , Monday 29th and St Andrew’s Day itself, Tuesday 30th November.

Christmas treats galore in the Great Hall. If the thought of trailing round the streets scouring the shops for your Christmas presents fills you with dread, come to Stirling Castle for the alternative, enjoyable way to solve your present(s) crisis! The castle’s magnificent Great Hall, beautifully decked out with its splendid Christmas tree and roaring log fire, is the setting on the evening of Wednesday 1st December for our special Christmas Shopping Fayre. And with a host of wonderful goodies to buy, plus some seasonal entertainment on offer, it’s the perfect place to find all your festive gifts and start celebrating Christmas in style.

An obsession with fashion is no modern phenomena. In the 16th century, it was as important for as many people as it is today. Then, as now, being seen in the latest styles was a preoccupation for people of both sexes and all ages. And an appearance at court meant dressing to impress was an absolute must. Meet one of the ladies of the court of James V at Stirling Castle this weekend to hear her views on the fashions of the age as she is fitted for a new outfit. And find out about the lengthy preparations involved in getting her ready to meet the Queen